Rio de Janeiro, Feb 15 (IANS/EFE) Brazilian economic activity fell for the second straight month in December, declining 1.35 percent relative to November, the central bank said in a report Friday.
The Economic Activity Index, or IBC-Br, considered a reliable predictor of gross domestic product performance, was up 2.57 percent for all of 2013.
That figure topped official and market forecasts for roughly 2 percent growth.
The IBC-Br edged up 0.17 percent in December compared to the same month of 2012, the report added.
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics will on Feb 27 release official GDP data, which contains more comprehensive monthly information than the IBC-Br indicator.
IANS/EFE
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